Liu: 58 Bahamians, 150 local contractors currently at The Pointe

The Pointe President Daniel Liu (second from left), Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis (center) and Cabinet ministers examine a model of The Pointe during a tour of the project yesterday. TORRELL GLINTON

At The Pointe’s current phase of development 58 Bahamians are working on the project, President of The Pointe Daniel Liu said yesterday, adding that when the development is completed it will eventually employ 500 permanent workers.

Liu, who spoke at the beginning of a tour set up by The Pointe for Cabinet ministers, did not say what complement of those 500 permanent workers would be Bahamians. But he explained that The Pointe has stuck to its promise to government to keep the construction labor component of the development at a 70/30 split, favoring Bahamian workers. Chinese workers are visibly present at the work site.

Minnis joked with Liu, saying he wanted an 80/20 labor split. Liu explained that more than 300 Bahamians have been employed by The Pointe since it began phase one.

Liu, who is also the senior vice president of China Construction America (CCA), the general contractor for The Pointe, said 150 Bahamian contractors were engaged at The Pointe as of yesterday.

Bahamian Contractors’ Association President Leonard Sands said his organization is interested in having more Bahamian contractors involved in the project than they were in the building of Baha Mar. CCA was also the general contractor for the Baha Mar development.

Liu added that The Pointe has already injected $25 million into the economy and will inject $100 million more.

Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis, who was on hand for the tour of The Pointe, told reporters following the event that he wanted to see the project for himself, especially because it is part of the redevelopment of downtown Nassau.

The prime minister said the completion of The Pointe will mark the beginning of the revitalization of downtown. He added that “it’s essential that it’s on target”.

It was revealed recently that The Pointe will be managed by Margaritaville Holdings, and will open in phases beginning in mid-2019, two years after its original opening date.

Liu told Minnis that The Pointe is creating entertainment options to draw Bahamians and tourists back to the downtown area. He mentioned the opening of a virtual reality arcade, movie theater, bowling alley and golf simulator later this year as catalysts to drive people into downtown.